Daewoo Shipbuilding & Marine Engineering has announced a patent license agreement with MAN Diesel & Turbo for use of the DSME high pressure-fueled gas supply (HP-FGS) system.

Under the terms of the contract, details of which are being kept confidential, MAN will use DSME’s HP-FGS system patents and licenses for its two-stroke LNG propulsion based commercial vessel projects.

DSME believes this to be a significant development in gas fuelled ship technology, as with a claimed 80% market share, MAN Diesel & Turbo enjoys a leading position in large two-stroke marine engines. As the first orders for two-stroke marine engines using LNG fuel have been for MAN’s ME-GI engines, DSME says that “this patent contract is expected to bring out great ripple effects to related industries.”

Although the ME-GI has been available for over 10 years, its high pressure gas compressor system was too bulky and too power-hungry to make it viable for ship power applications. DSME says that the development of the high pressure pump-based fuel system, offering a radical improvement in efficient use of power and space, has made dual-fuelled two-stroke engines into a realistic commercial proposition. DSME developed and patented its system in 2007, and now, with increased interest in LNG as ship fuel, the company believes the combination of its gas fuel system and MAN’s two-stroke technology will open the gateway to more dual-fuelled two-stroke orders from the commercial shipbuilding industry.

The DSME technology has been successfully used on MAN’s ME-GI test engine in Copenhagen, and is being supplied to NASSCO in the USA for the MAN ME-GI engines for the first LNG-powered container ships, being built for TOTE to a design by DSME subsidiary DSEC.

DSME says that it is discussing license agreements for its HP-FGS technologies with various companies including engine builders. “DSME will provide designing, engineering, commissioning and training services about FGS system to licensees” said Brandon Jung, senior executive vice president of DSME.